!!SPOILER ALERT!!
Tiger & Bunny - 23 episodes, still airing
~Quick Review~
Storyline: Interesting, dramatic, and fun
Characters: Stereotypical hero-types but still fun to love
Animation: Great CG work, hand drawn stuff fluctuates from fluid to choppy
Music: Nothing spectacular but fits the show well
Overall: A great heroic show, especially if you like X-Men
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| Blue Rose endorses Pepsi Nex |
Tiger & Bunny was an anime I had decided to watch on a whim, and I'm really glad that I took a chance on it. I had started watching it when 19 episodes had already aired and I whipped through the episodes like a madwoman. It's a very fun show. You follow the heroic adventures of the Heroes, a group of people referred to as NEXT who all have special genetic abilities. They all use these abilities to save the citizens of Sternbild and stop criminals in their tracks. I think one of the things that makes this show unique is its blatant use of advertising. Each hero has a specially-made costume that has their sponsors' logos shamelessly plastered on it. While some might find it obnoxious, I personally find it hilarious because I've never seen such an unabashed use of advertising, and I give kudos to the production company for having the balls to be so bold.
Anyway, the beginning of the show focuses on the Heroes chasing around criminals and saving the innocent in order to gain "hero points". Their activities are documented on the popular television program known as "Hero TV", which keeps track of these points in order to determine the "King of Heroes" in a yearly ranking. You meet the main character of the series, Kotetsu, otherwise known as Tiger. The oldest of the heroes and the most old-fashioned, Tiger doesn't care about collecting points, he only wants to save lives. He tries to come off as a cool guy, but most of the time he goofs up and ends up being ranked at the bottom. Then, the company he works for decides to bring in a new hero to keep things young and fresh, so they end up pairing Tiger with the newcomer. The new hero is Barnaby Brooks Jr., whom Kotetsu affectionately refers to as "Bunny". Bunny happens to have the same NEXT ability as Tiger - the use of super strength for only 5 minutes every hour. They're the only heroes who have this kind of restriction, and I think the time limit is a very interesting twist on the concept of super strength and hero powers in general.
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| Barnaby Brooks Jr. ("Bunny") & Kotetsu Kasaragi ("Tiger") |
Things between Kotetsu and Barnaby start off rocky because they have different ideas of what it means to be a hero, but after working on several cases together, they eventually become close friends. I don't want to give too much away, but further into the series, the story breaks off from the popularity contest and starts focusing on Bunny's past and his need for revenge (think Bruce Wayne kind of revenge). It gets pretty dramatic and Bunny actually becomes a little annoying. He gets very whiny and emo... he cries a lot and I feel like his entire personality from the beginning of the show is completely discarded. It was disappointing for me when he broke down because I really liked him from the get-go. It's like Spiderman 3 all over again... *shudder* Oh well, I guess given the circumstances, he's allowed a little bit of a break down.
All in all, this show is well worth the watch. All of the characters are lovable and each of them get a chance to shine on their own throughout the series. Some of the twists and turns are predictable, but it's still just as fun to watch everything unfold. I'm sad every time an episode ends and I have to wait an ENTIRE WEEK for the next one. Especially now that it's reaching its climax and almost every episode has had a cliffhanger these last couple of weeks. It's a good thing I'm starting school soon, so I have something to distract me from the wait!
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| The entire Heroes gang |
I might review this again after I've watched it in its entirety, so make sure you come back soon!
You can also watch the show on Hulu here and let me know what YOU think!
Love&&peace,
Sarah
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